Means for stripping textile carding flats



SePb 22'19702 w.NUT1'ER ETAL 3,529,326

MEANS EQR "STRIPPING TEXTILE CARDING FLATS Filed Dec. 2s. 196e United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 19-109 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for removing fibres and impurities from the flats of a textile card of the revolving flat type comprising combing means arranged for traversal in one direction through a flat-engaging zone to pick up fibres and impurities carried in the clothing of the flat in the zone and for traversal in a reverse direction to transfer the picked up bres and impurities back to the surface of the flat clothing, and suction means for applying a suction to the fiat to remove the fibres and impurities transferred back on to the flat, the suction means being mounted adjacent the combing means for movement therewith and leading the combing means when the combing means is moving in the one direction through the flat-engaging zone.

The present invention relates to an improved method of and means for stripping the iiats of a textile carding machine of the revolving flat type, that is to say, a machine of the type used for example for processing cotton or synthetic libres in which flats are caused in succession to move into and through an arcuate working region adjacent to and extending round the surface of a main cylinder so that fibres are carded between the cylinder and tiats in this region, and in which the fiats after passing through the working region follow a return path which eventually leads them back into the working region.

It is usual to remove short fibres and impurities etc., from the flats as they leave the working region and the conventional method of doing this is to provide an oscillating comb which cleans the fibres etc. from the surface of the at clothing. The fibrous strips so formed are dropped by the comb on to the covers of the card or offered to a suction device which removes them from the vicinity of the card. The oscillating comb does not, however, penetrate through the teeth of the flat clothing, and bres and impurities remaining in the flat card clothing are removed by a revolving brush which is itself Occasionally stripped by a manually operated com'b.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of and device for stripping libres and impurities from the flats of textile carding machines.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of removing fibres and impurities from the flats of a textile card of the revolving flat type comprising the steps of transferring fibers and impurities from a card flat to combing means by relative movement between said combing means and the fiat, transferring the bres from the combing means back to the surface of the flat by relative movement between said combing means and the fiat in the opposite direction, and removing the fibres transferred back to the flat by suction applied to the flat.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of removing fibres and impurities from the liats of a textile card of the revolving at type comprising the steps of traversing combing means across the Width of the fiat in one direction to remove fibres and impurities therefrom, reversing the direction of traverse of the combing means to transfer the fibers and impurities back on to the surface of the fiat clothing and applying suction adjacent to the at clothing to remove ibres and impurities disposed thereon.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for removing fibres and impurities from the flats of a textile card of the revolving at type comprising combing means arranged to pick up fibres and impurities from a card flat by relative movement between the combing means and the iiat and to return the picked up bres -back on to the surface of the flat by relative movement in the opposite direction between said combing means and the flat, and means for applying suction to the flat to remove the fibres and impurities transferred back on to the surface of the flat.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for removing fibres and impurities from the flats of a textile card of the revolving flat type comprising combing means arranged for traversal in one direction across the width of the fiat to pick up fibres and impurities carried in the clothing of each flat and for traversal in a reverse direction to transfer the picked up fibres and impurities back to the surface of the liat clothing, and suction means for applying a suction to the flat to remove the fibres and impurities transferred back onto the fiat.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. l is a schematic side elevation of a textile card including apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional side elevation of part of the card shown in FIG. l, drawn to an enlarged scale,

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawing, a high production textile card comprises a main cylinder 11 on which fibres'are advanced up into and through an upper arcuate Working region of the cylinder where they are engaged by carding flats 12 moving in an arcuate path in the opposite direction. The flats 12 are supported at their ends in conventional manner by a pair of spaced endless chains 13 which are guided round front and rear block wheels 14 and 15 at the front and rear ends of the working region of the main cylinder 11 and over intermediate guide wheels 16 and 17, so that the flats 12 after passing through the working region leave the rear end thereof nearest the taker-in 18, pass round the rear block wheels 1S and then follow a return path over the guide sprocket wheels 16 and 17 to the front block wheels 14 round which they pass back to the front end of the working region of the cylinder 11.

Each fiat 12 is arranged as best seen in FIG. 2 to move through a stripping position at the rear of the block wheels 15. At the stripping position, there is arranged a stripping device 19 comprising a suction tube 20 extending in the axial direction of the card cylinder and fixedly mounted on a shaft 21 for pivotal movement about its longitudinal axis. The tube 20 is so shaped as to form an elongate nozzle 22 tapering in the direction of the fiat 12 at the stripping position and terminating at the flat 12 in an elongate suction slot 23 parallel to the fiat 12 and extending the full length of the flat, and the arrangement is such that the nozzle 22 can, by pivoting the suction tube 20, be swivelled from a trailing position, as shown in full line in FIG. 3, in which it is behind the flat 12 to a leading position, as shown in broken line in FIG. 3, in which it is in advance of the iiat 12. The trailing side of the nozzle 22 is built up to carry a bar 24 supporting a stripping comb 25 comprising two rows of downwardly directed knee-type stripping wires which are raked in the direction of advance of the fiat at the stripping position, and the arrangement is such that during an advance swivelling movement of the nozzle 22 the wires of the comb 25 engage the wires of the fiat 12 at the stripping position, with the points of the stripping comb penetrating the fiat clothing.

The drive for imparting the oscillatory motion to the suction tube 20 is obtained from the main cylinder shaft 26 which is driven by a belt 27 from an electric motor 28. The cylinder shaft 26 carries a pulley v29 which imparts a drive to a belt 30 drivingly engaging a pulley 31 on an intermediate drive shaft 32 which also carries a pulley 33 which imparts a drive to a belt 34 drivingly engaging a pulley 35 fixed on a cam shaft 36 which carries a cam 37 engaged by a cam-follower roller 38 rotatably mounted on one end of a lever 39 pivotally supported on a stationary pin `40 and pivotally connected at its other end by a link 41 to an arm 42 fixed on the shaft 21 supporting the suction tube 20. Rotation of the shaft 36 carrying the cam 37 imparts an oscillatory movement to the lever 39 and this oscillatory movement is imparted to the suction tube 20 by the link 41. Adjustment of the amplitude of oscillation of the tube 20 can be made by repositioning of the end of the link 41 in a slot 43 in the arm 42.

In the present embodiment of the invention the driving mechanism for oscillating the tube 20 is such as to cause the tube to execute oscillations at a rate of 30 to 50 oscillations per minute. The width of the suction slot 23 is arranged to be less than the width of a fiat 12 and the suction nozzle tube 20 is connected to a suction pump which will draw air through the tube at the rate of 300 cubic feet per minute at a pressure of 3.8 inches static water pressure. The fiats are arranged to move at a rate of 4 inches per minute.

In the operation of the card, each fiat is in turn brought to the stripping position where the suction nozzle tube '2G is continuously oscillating. At the stripping position the teeth of the wires of the stripping comb 25 advance through the fiat clothing during an advance movement of the suction nozzle tube 20, picking up fibres and impurities from the clothing. On the return movement of the suction nozzle tube 20 the fibres and impurities picked up by the comb 25 are transferred back to the points of the fiat clothing, this transfer being assisted by the raking of the stripping comb teeth in the leading direction. As the suction slot 23 is in advance and adjacent to the stripping comb 25, when fibres are laid on the points of the fiat clothing during the return stroke they are stripped therefrom by suction into the suction slot 23 either on the return stroke or on the next forward stroke.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention provides a stiipping device for a card which is neat in appearance and occupies little space. It effectively cleans the fiats and completely removes the fibres and impurities and is itself virtually self-cleaning.

In the embodiment of the invention hereinbefore described the suction slot 23 is positioned closely adjacent to the stripping comb 25 and any fibres which become loose during the interaction of the stripping combl and the fiat are immediately sucked away and the suction also tends to keep the stripping comb 25 itself clear of fibres.

In the arrangement hereinbefore described, the fiats run with the working fiight of the kats moving towards the taker-in end of the card, but the stripping arrangement will work equally well when the iiats move in the opposite or conventional direction.

A stripping device as hereinbefore described may of course be applied to the fiats either at the beginning or at the end of their return patch, or at an intermediate position.

Whilst in the arrangement hereinbefore described the suction nozzle 23 and the fibre stripping comb 25 form a single unit and oscillate together, it will be appreciated that they may be separately mounted and traversed in any desired manner to achieve the same effect.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the suction nozzle tube may be stationary and a stripping combI may be traversed in a path across the fiat to be cleaned and may lie between the suction device and the fiat.

In still yet another embodiment of the invention, the stripping comb may be arranged to advance across the fiat to be cleaned and continue in its forward traverse until it reaches a suction slot in a stationary suction tube so arranged that the suction at the slot withdraws the fibres from the teeth of the stripping comb.

The fiat stripping comb may be made from angle wire teeth, as hereinbefore described, using one or more rows of teeth, or it may be made from straight wire, bristle or synthetic material set at such an angle as to achieve the cleaning effect previously described.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Apparatus for removing fibres and impurities from the fiats of a textile card of the revolving fiat type comprising combing means arranged for traversal in one direction through a fiat-engaging zone to pick up fibres and impurities carried in the clothing of the fiat in said zone and for traversal in a reverse direction to transfer the picked up fibres and impurities back to the surface of the fiat clothing, and suction means for applying a suction to the fiat to remove the fibres and impurities transferred back onto the fiat, said suction means being mounted adjacent said combing means for movement therewith and leading said combing means when said combing means is moving in said one direction through said fiat-engaging zone.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said suction means comprises a suction tube arranged for oscillation about its longitudinal axis andformed with a side nozzle extending the full length of the fiat in the fiat-engaging zone, and wherein said combing means is xedly mounted on said nozzle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 624,861 5/1899 Philipson 19-111 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,206 1901 Great Britain. 21,672 1898 Great Britain.

548,777 10/ 1922 France.

DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 19-111 

